Question

What does the loop do in the sequential search algorithm? What happens when the value being searched for is found?

Short answer

Question: Explain the role of the loop in the sequential search algorithm and the process when the desired value is found. Answer: The loop in the sequential search algorithm is responsible for iterating through each element in the list and comparing it with the desired value. If the current element matches the target value, the loop terminates, and the index of the matched element is returned, indicating that the value has been found in the list and providing information about its position. If no match is found after iterating through the entire list, the algorithm returns -1, indicating that the value is not present in the list.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction to Sequential Search Algorithm

The sequential search algorithm is a technique used for searching an element in a list (array) by checking each item in the list sequentially until the desired element is found or the list is completely traversed. The loop plays a crucial role in this process as it iterates through each element in the list until the target value is found or the list is exhausted.

Loop in Sequential Search Algorithm

The loop in the sequential search algorithm is responsible for checking each element in the list and comparing it with the desired value. If the current element matches the target value, the loop terminates, and the index of the matched element is returned. If no match is found after iterating through the entire list, the algorithm returns -1, indicating that the value is not present in the list. Here's a basic pseudocode representation of the loop in the sequential search algorithm: ``` for i = 0 to length of the list - 1 if list[i] == target_value return i return -1 ```

When the Desired Value is Found

When the loop encounters an element that matches the desired value in the sequential search algorithm, it terminates the loop and returns the index of the matched element. This indicates that the value has been found in the list and provides information about its position.

When the Desired Value is Not Found

If the loop iterates through the entire list and none of the elements match the desired value being searched for, the algorithm returns -1. This indicates that the value is not present in the list.